J U M P S T A R T C O M P E T I T I O NB R A N D I N G P R O J E C T

FRAN FARRELL B00066384

JUMPSTARTL A U N C H I N G Y O U R B U S I N E S S

“A rebranding project for the prestigious JumpStart competition with the primary goal of gaining interest and attracting applicants to the competition in the form

of a fresh new brand identity”

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Table of Contents

Project Overview

Project Process

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3 - 4

5 -15

User Testing16

Conclusion17

5 - 8

Influences

Logo Design

9 - 12Web Design

13Logo Intro

13Video 1 Process

14Video 2 Process

15Brand Assets

9Flowchart & Wireframes

10Design Concepts

11 - 12Web Development

The prestigious JumpStart competition has been running since 2010 and hosted by the Linc at the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown. The competition has a renowned panel of judges and aims to attract entrepreneurs and new business start-ups to compete against each other for an amazing prize package. Recently there has been a decline in applicants and a decision was made to have a complete rebrand of the company to help find a way to attract more potential clients.

There were a few different areas that had to be addressed, firstly I looked at the present website and the first thing I noticed, it was a static website which meant there was no interaction with the user and the colour scheme was dull and had no correspondence with the Linc. The application process was a lengthy online form which had to be completed before the successful applicants could proceed to phase 2 of the competition.

After meeting with the client to discuss some possible solutions I then carried out a competitor analysis which enabled me to get a better understanding of the structure of such competition. The first task I proceeded with was the logo design which will be the brand identity of the company so this was a long process to complete as I was working on creating a memorable logo that will represent the company in the best way. In creating the logo I wanted to create a clean modern design with a minimal look and a lasting effect.

For the web design I wanted to create a more dynamic website that the user can interact with and bring some personality of the JumpStart competition to the user. I introduced a fresh colour scheme which ties in with the Linc combined with a modern layout that the user can easily navigate to any section they require. I also introduced the use of photography into the website as it is more visually appealing to the user as it helps break up the content while navigating, which was something that the old site lacked. The images also give personality and it lets the user engage with the previous winners as they can browse in the gallery section of the JumpStart competitors and winners

From this I decided to contact a previous winner, Improper Butter, and I produced a video interview which told their story of the journey they had and the benefits of entering and winning the competition. I felt this was more engaging with the user to see their progress rather than reading a small written testimonial.

Regarding the application process and the lengthy online form, I decided on a more interactive process in the form of a short video for the applicant to upload for the first phase of entering. This eliminates the online form process for this stage and allows the applicant get their idea across using their personality.

Making the website more interactive I produced a promotional video with the client where she explains the whole process of the competition within 90 seconds which appears on the website so the user can watch the short video rather than reading about it if they please. At the start of the video I created an animation of the logo which shows what the logo represents.

Choosing a branding project enabled me to showcase my skills I have learned at ITB and by creating and designing in the area I most desire. The project involved my skills in graphic and web design, video and sound production / editing and using After Effects for animation, but also working together with my client and my supervi-sors to complete the whole project.

Project Overview

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Paul Rand

When looking for some inspiration that will help me in creating a logo for my project , I decided to look through some of the work from this well-known designer called Paul Rand. He was an American art director and graphic designer, best known for his corporate logo designs, including the logos for IBM, UPS, Enron, Morningstar, Inc., Westinghouse, ABC, and NeXT.

David Airey

I found this book very informative in the process about rethinking the importance of brand identity and some different angles to consider when creating a new identity. Some interesting topics regarding keeping it simple, make it relevant to the client’s needs, make it distinctive, making a timeless design as it won’t be part of a trend and need redesigning in a short space of time, commit to memory , and a design that can be remembered at a glance.

Influences

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Design Trends

Before I started to design some wire frames for the homepage I decided to review some design tends that I had covered in my inspiration phase. As I knew more about the JumpStart competition and how the whole process was conducted so I needed to find a nice clean design that would show the right content in the right place to achieve a user friendly experience.

So I looked again at split screen, grid layout, full screen designs etc. and I decided that maybe some use of the split screen would suit as it will still reveal the right content in a neat fashion and not over complicate the site.

Influences

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Logo Design

Starting the logo process I began by brainstorming the words ‘jump ’ and ‘start’ which would help me generate some sketches and concepts for the logo.

Logo Sketches

I started by sketching different ideas that came into my head to try get as much down on paper with a lot of different concepts that I felt would guide me in the right direction for the final design.

Project Process

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From Paper to Illustrator

After finishing my sketches it was time to bring them into Illustrator which would make them more flexible and this allowed me to create a lot of variations of each concept.

Project Process

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Logo Sketches Final Approach

After meeting with the client she was happy with the progress I had made with the logos and we decided that the rocket concept would work for the JumpStart competition as it can represent launching a new business.

I wanted to create a logo that was simple but memoriable like a symbol that had meaning to the competition. I decided to combine the rocket concept with the start button and proceeded in that direction.

Digital Logos

I created some variations of the final design to see what would best suit the JumpStart competition and I also creatat-ed a short list and created an online poll with my peers and friends and received feedback which help me make the final decision.

Final Logo

The logo was then presented to the client and she was very pleased with the final outcome and the decisions I had made to achieve it.

Project Process

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Project Process

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Final LogoGuidelines, Fonts & Colours

I created some brand guidlines which included correct, incorrect use of the logo which explains the logos flexibility.

Logo for Printing

I created different colour logos and designed the logo for printing in black and white as the logo needs to be flexible and work in all circumstances.

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This is the normal size logo for the brand with the tagline included.

This is the small version of the logo and must be used if the logo is being scaled to a size smaller than 50pixels in height and the tagline is not used.

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Incorrect use of logo

Font Style. Logo colours.

Aileron (SemiBold) used for logo type.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMN OPQRSTUVWXYZ

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

1234567890

Aileron (Light) used for tagl ine.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMN OPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghi jk lmnopqrstuvwxyz1234567890

HEX: #8cc63e

RGB: 140, 198, 62.

CMYK: 50, 0 ,100, 0 .

HEX: #58585b

RGB: 88, 88, 91.

CMYK: 0 , 0 , 0 , 60.

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Project ProcessWeb Design Flowchart and Wireframes

Following on from the logo process I then started with the flowchart, wireframes and concept designs. The colour scheme had already been decided with the client as I was to adhere to the ITB and Linc colours of blue and green.

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Web DesignConcept Designs

Project Process

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Web DesignWeb Development

The website had to be developed in WordPress as the client would be looking after the content in the future and posting to the blog also so this was the best and most popular content management system to use. The theme I chose was Divi from Elegant Themes as this theme was very flexible and is very easy to customise by using the custom CSS option so you can style the site to your requirements.

Creating and activating the child theme above and creat-ing pages below before creating the navigation.

Building sections within the pages of the theme. A lot of time was spent getting used to the theme and its func-tionality to ensure the best results.

Creating the menu in which will be activated for the main navigation for each page.

Editing the settings for the primarary navigation in relation to the fixed navigation when scrolling and settings for the mobile menu.

Project Process

I had to edit the php in order to insert some images into the header section and to take away the footer area as I created my own footer section.

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Web DesignWeb Development

Building sections within the pages of the theme. A lot of time was spent getting used to the theme and its functional-ity to ensure the best results.

I created a photo gallery section so the user can relate to previous winners and see what the competition resembles.

Project Process

After Development

I made the new site more dynamic with interaction with the user by introducing images throughout the site including a photo gallery. I also introduced some interview videos for more interaction with the user which will help keep the user interested.

Before Development

The original website was not very appealing to the user and the colour scheme did not work for the brand. This was a static website with no interaction with the user and no personality of the competi-tion present.

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Logo Intro

I decided to create a logo intro which I animated in After Effects which consists of the rocket flying in from the side and landing on a red start button, which then turns to green along with the word START. I used the logo intro for the promotional video that I produced with the client which appears on the homepage for easy access for the user.

Project Process

Video Interview 1 Proces - Claire MacNamee, The Linc

As I wanted more interaction with the user I produced and edited an interview video with the client and she explained the process of the competition which gives the user the option of reading through the site or viewing the short video.

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Video interview 2 Process - Improper Butter

When thinking of ways of making the site more unique I decided to contact Improper Butter who the competition in 2014. I spoke with Elaine and Hannah and we agreed to create a video regarding the benefits of entering and winning the competition. I felt that this approach would be a great way for the new applicants to see how the competition can help promote their new business rather than a few lines of text for a testimonial.

Project Process

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Brand Assets

I designed some brand assets which shows the logo and designs working in a realistic environment

Project Process

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L A U N C H I N G Y O U R B U S I N E S S

Clare MacNameeEnterprise ManagerThe LincITB www.jumpstartcompetition.ie

Info@jumpstartcompetition.ie+353 18250000

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Prototype Testing

Before commencing to the development stage of the website I did some user testing on the prototype I had created in phase 1 of the project. This was carried out by using a screen capture software so I could look back over the footage. The test was in relation to the navigation and layout of the site and to analysis the users reactions.

User TestingLogo Testing

When deciding the final logo design I decided to setup a poll with my peers, family and friends as I had a short list of 3. I had my mind set on number 1 but I thought some input and feedback would help me in my final decision.

Website Testing

After completing the development of the site I did some user testing mainly to test the layout and flow of the site. It is necessary that the user can navigate easily to the required section without having to guess where to click.

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Reflecting back to the start of the project, I remember only confirming my project with the client approximately 4 weeks into the semester so I had a bit of catching up to do. As I knew I would be doing a branding project, I still researched for inspiration regarding logo, web design and branding in general. After meeting with the client and confirming the project, the logo process began and my ideas began to flow. It was a long process but enjoyable too as I was also generating ideas for the web design and how to bring some personality to the website.

Some of the ideas were to include a photo gallery, interview testimonial, animated logo intro and a video interview with the client. The weekly meetings with my supervisor were very beneficial and really helped to get my ideas into action and set me in the right direction so the meet-ings were a great contribution on completing the entire project.

Throughout the project I have gained a lot more experience in regards to branding and the whole process involved which included scheduling meetings with the client, keeping to deadlines for the overall project but also the weekly tasks for my supervisor meetings. Also the project has thought me how to implement and use the feedback received from my client, peers and supervisor in a positive manner. I have also gained a lot more experience and confidence in video production / editing as this wasn’t my strongest point but as the project progressed in the devel-opment stage I feel it has brought me to the next level.

Overall I enjoyed the whole process and to see the finished project is so rewarding when you have achieved your goal. If I were to take on a project like this again, one of the areas I would address is timekeeping, but as I have never missed a deadline or milestone I feel a bit more planning with time would release the pressure and stress involved with such projects. Web design / development and branding is the area that I desire and I wish to pursue a career in this field.

Conclusion

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